Who Was St. Mark

St. Mark gave the world a great gift when he wrote the Gospel of Mark, inspired by God through Christ. As a young man, some say in his 20s, he joined Peter, his mentor, who called him “my son” (1 Peter 5:13). Tradition says Peter was his mother’s cousin’s husband. They traveled through Judea and sailed to Rome, a Christian hub, where Peter shared stories of Jesus’ miracles. Around 60 AD, amid Nero’s dangers, Mark wove these into his Gospel on papyrus, starting boldly: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness” (Mark 1:3). It was the first book about Jesus, short and fierce, like the lion in Coptic icons.

Writing was hard—some say Mark hid in a friend’s house, ink on his fingers, recalling miracles like healing the blind man (Mark 10:46–52) or the Upper Room’s hush. His Gospel spread fast, giving the Church Jesus’ story. Copts treasure it as their founder’s voice, read on his feast (30 Baramhat). Ethiopians hear it in Ge'ez hymns on May 8. In Rome, with Peter and Paul in great danger, Mark’s Gospel was a lifeline. For Orthodox children, it shows how words for Christ, powered by God, can shine forever, like verses learned in Sunday school.